We already have a list of the 110 best-selling cars in the world. And a trend is confirmed, Europe has disappeared from this list. Not even Volkswagen manages to sneak one of its models into the top ten global bestsellers. In fact, its appearance clearly explains what the industry trends are.
looking east. Felipe Muñoz is an analyst at Jato Dynamics, one of the references when it comes to understanding how the automotive industry works. On his Twitter account, he has shared an exhaustive analysis in which he lists the 110 best-selling models in the world, with data from 106 markets and 99% of those that can be collected.
The result is confirmation that Asia dominates the automotive landscape. Both for the sale of vehicles and by weight in the purchase of manufactured models. Eight of the top ten models on the list belong to Asian firms and add up to fourteen if we expand it to the top twenty.
I made it! The most accurate and detailed global ranking by models. Thanks to the support of many of you, I was able to gather data for 106 markets around the world, counting for more than 99% of the global’s total. Full ranking here: https://t.co/LtGGdQtofD pic.twitter.com/w4CKC4OHPk
— Car Industry Analysis (@lovecarindustry) June 14, 2022
best sellers. Of all the models, Toyota and Honda are the firms that make the best stops. In fact, the eight Asian brands that make it to the top of the list are Japanese companies. The Toyota RAV-4 is the best-selling model in the world, with 1,132,000 units. In Spain, a total of 859,477 cars were registered in 2021.
The Japanese SUV is followed by the Toyota Corolla (1,104,000 units) and the Honda CR-V (903,000 units). Toyota also manages to place the Camry and the Hilux pick-up in fifth and eighth place. Honda enters with three models. In addition to the CR-V, we also find the HR-V and the Honda Accord. Eleventh place also goes to the Honda Civic.
an electric. We already have an electric among the 10 best-selling models in the world. It is the Tesla Model 3, which with 508,000 units placed on the market has managed to grow 40% compared to 2020. The figures have made it go from twenty-first position the previous year to ninth in 2021. And Muñoz anticipates that he expects to see the electric model among the five best sellers of this 2022.
No trace of Europe. It is no coincidence that the first model of a European manufacturer is found in sixteenth position. It’s the Volkswagen Lavida. To find the next one you have to advance to the twenty-fourth position (VW Tiguan Allspace) and it is not until the twenty-eighth position where we find a manufacturer other than Volkswagen. This place is occupied by the BMW 3 Series, with 329,000 units sold.
The data is not surprising. Forced to electrify the ranges and substantially improve safety on board, cars in Europe are becoming more expensive. The strategy is to sell less but more expensive. It is something that Mercedes, BMW, the Stellantis Group or Volkswagen have already warned about, who pointed out that they had stopped fighting to be in the top sales positions worldwide.
In addition, European manufacturers have chosen to diversify their ranges so much that it is difficult for them, analyzing model by model, to slip into this type of list. In fact, only Volkswagen offers nine different SUVs in our country. And the Volkswagen Group expands the possibilities if we take into account that Skoda, Seat, Volkswagen, Cupra, Audi and Porsche each play their own role among its wide offer.
United States and Asia. With the European market in clear decline, even in manufacturing, the United States and Asia (especially China) are gaining even more weight in total sales worldwide. Tesla, for example, has also managed to sneak its Model Y into the nineteenth position. That the rest of the American models that sneak into the list are all pick-ups from Ford, RAM and Chevrolet is one more indication.
China is the other big market that determines the balance at the level of sales. In fact, the first model of a European manufacturer (Volkswagen Lavida) is sold exclusively in this country. The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, a tiny electric car, only delves into this idea.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism